Awards
2010 summit award® recipients
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
The Council may confer Honorary Membership in APEGGA upon any person who, through initiative and leadership, has rendered eminent service allied with the professions. The nominee’s work will have contributed to the betterment of society through the development of new material, equipment, techniques, philosophy or management related to engineering, geology or geophysics.
Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, C.M.
Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, C.M., is a distinguished scientist and educator who has been a strong proponent of mentoring as well as a champion for encouraging engineering and technology career choices for women. Known to many as Canada's premier ambassador of science, she has worked tirelessly through numerous community outreach programs to encourage young people, especially young women, to consider careers in the sciences and engineering.
In 1981, Dr. Armour was one of 20 leaders to study the low number of women in science. A year later, Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) was formed. In an era when women represented only 30 per cent of undergraduate science and 10 per cent of engineering students, and the number of female faculty was 10 per cent in science and two per cent in engineering, Dr. Armour played a pivotal role as a mentor and a significant role model for young women.
Having spent a lifetime in scientific research and in the encouragement of young people to enter the sciences, she is considered the very soul and essence of WISEST. Dr. Armour is an individual who has contributed in so many ways to a variety of groups. She not only works with university students but actively encourages Grade 11 students to develop an interest in and commitment to science through exposure to research-level science.
For her work and advocacy in improving the situation of Canadian women in science and technology, Dr. Armour was named to the Order of Canada in 2006. She also received a Governor General's Award in commemoration of the Persons Case, a landmark decision in 1929 that declared women to be persons under the British North America Act.
Dr. Armour’s dedication to education and her passion for science were recognized in 2007 when she was named a Champion of Public Education by The Learning Partnership. Later that year she also received the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation Special Award.
Dr. Armour has taken part in all 20 annual CHOICES Conferences at the University of Alberta, and as part of both this year’s and last year’s conference, hosted a fun science session live on the Internet. One hundred volunteers delivered two days of science fun and learning encouraging 600 Grade 6 girls to get involved and excited about hands-on science and technology projects.
In 2008, Dr. Armour received an honorary degree from the University of British Columbia for development of safety guidelines for recycling and disposing of laboratory chemicals.
Most recently, Dr. Armour took part in the 2009 Mentorship Program established by the Governor General. The program pairs young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 25 with members of the Order of Canada.
Honours, Awards and Distinctions
-
Special Recognition Award for contributions to APEGGA Mentoring Conferences (2009)
-
Member, Order of Canada (2006)
-
Named one of 100 Edmontonians of the Century (2004)
-
3M National Teaching Fellowship
-
American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Women into the Chemical Sciences
-
Maclean's Honour Roll, 10 Canadians Who Are Making a Difference
-
Montreal Medal, Chemical Institute of Canada
-
Sarah Shorten Award, Canadian Association of University Teachers
-
Distinguished Alumna Award, University of Alberta
Professional Affiliations and Activities
-
Member, American Chemical Society
-
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
-
Presenter, APEGGA mentoring conferences
-
Researcher, biosafety and hazardous waste disposal
-
Co-chair, Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT Centre), a project of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT)
-
Fellow, Chemical Institute of Canada
-
Board of directors, Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Sciences
-
University of Alberta
-
Associate Dean of Science, Diversity
-
Board of Governors chair, St. Stephen's College
-
Past assistant chair, Chemistry Department
-
Past undergraduate student advisor, Chemistry Department
-
Past vice-chair and board member, WISEST